Wrapped (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Danny catches Steve in an embarrassing situation thanks to Angie.


**Notes:** Many many thanks to Mari for covering for me last week when I was in sunny California. You are the best! And thanks as always to Mari and Sammy for the love and laughter every day.

Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support!

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Wrapped (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

Steve stood at the coffee machine set up in HQ, waiting for his cup to finish brewing. He had a long day of paperwork ahead of him and knew he'd need the extra caffeine. As the cup filled, he absently whistled the song that had been playing when he, Catherine, and Angie had arrived in the parking lot between Iolani Palace and the capitol building.

"I don't believe this," Danny said, joining him, his own coffee cup in hand.

Steve glanced down over at him. "If you're talking about the mountain of paperwork on your desk, it's smaller than mine, so I don't want to hear it."

"Not that, I'll complain about that in a minute," Danny said, waving a hand. The tell-tale grin on his face let Steve know his partner was getting ready to bust him for something. "I'm talking about the fact that you, Mr. Big Bad SuperSEAL, were just whistling 'Baby Beluga.' " He enunciated each syllable carefully.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve replied immediately, but he couldn't quite maintain eye contact, reaching toward the coffee machine to wipe a nonexistent smudge off the top.

"You were," Danny insisted, thoroughly amused. "You were whistling 'Baby Beluga,' and I need to find a calendar because this day must be commemorated. This is the day you went from 'father' to 'daddy,' " he said, motioning with one hand.

"I'm pretty sure that's already happened and it's got nothing to do with a song, which I was not whistling."

"You were!"

"Whistling what?" Chin asked as he joined the pair.

"Nothing," Steve said. "Danny's hearing things."

"I am not, you were whistling."

Chin quirked an eyebrow at his friend, a smile forming on his face. "I don't think I've ever heard you whistle."

"That's because I don't," Steve said.

"Don't what?" Kono asked, rounding out the morning gathering around the coffee maker.

"There's some dispute about whether or not Steve was whistling," Chin told her.

"There's no dispute," Danny said. "I know what I heard. Anyone who has either been or had a child in the last 40 years knows that song."

"What song?" Chin asked.

" 'Baby Beluga,' " Danny replied before Steve could cut him off.

"Oh, Raffi!" Kono said immediately, grinning. "I loved that song. _Baby beluga in the deep blue sea_ ," she sang.

" _Swims so wild and he swims so free_ ," Chin joined in, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and swaying as they held the last note.

Danny waved a hand at them as if they'd just proved his point.

"So you all know a song," Steve said, hands on his hips defiantly. "That doesn't mean I was whistling it."

"But you were, and I know why," Danny said, warming to the argument. "You drove in with Cath and Angie today, and I bet you had Raffi playing in that monster truck of yours which is an image I think we all need to just take a moment to envision and fully comprehend." He grinned. "Were you singing along? 'Cause that would absolutely make my day if you were singing along."

"I was definitely _not_ singing along," Steve said firmly.

Danny's grin widened. "So it _was_ playing."

Steve inhaled, pressing his lips together, and looked between the three of them for a long moment.

"It might have been," he said noncommittally.

"Ha!" Danny said in triumph.

Chin and Kono laughed.

"So I _might_ have been whistling it because it _might_ now be stuck in my head," Steve finally admitted.

Danny waved a hand magnanimously. "That's all I needed to hear." He clapped his partner on the arm. "Welcome to a new phase of fatherhood, my friend. Where you find yourself listening to songs you never thought you would, and usually the same two or three on repeat day in and day out. In no time you won't just be whistling, you will be singing along because it makes your little girl smile and she has had you wrapped around her little finger since before day one."

"I think he might be right," Chin said, smiling broadly.

Kono grinned. "Now that I would pay to see."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head.

"Now," Danny continued, "about that mountain of paperwork …"

* * *

Steve was back in his office after lunch with Catherine and Angie. He scrawled his signature across another page, having long since lost count of the files he'd reviewed since that morning.

He looked up when Danny leaned in the doorway brandishing a square item.

"Got you something," he said, tossing it toward Steve who caught it in both hands.

"What's this?" Steve asked, leaning back in his chair and looking at the CD he now held.

"It'll give you a break from Raffi," Danny said. "That was one of Grace's favorites."

Steve flipped it over. "Does it have 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider'? Angie really likes that one."

Danny grinned at his response. " 'Itsy Bitsy Spider,' 'Wheels on the Bus,' 'Five Little Monkeys,' it's got 'em all."

"All right, thanks, we'll give it a try," Steve said, almost before he realized what he was saying. He frowned at Danny's knowing smile. "You know, it's not like we listen to kid music all the time now."

Danny snorted, releasing the doorframe as he started to walk away. "Only a matter of time, my friend. Only a matter of time."

* * *

After work, Steve was waiting by the truck for Catherine and Angie. Catherine's response to his text as he was leaving HQ had told him they were headed out, and he wasn't there a minute before he saw them exiting the capitol. He smiled immediately, jogging over to meet them and was rewarded with Catherine's bright smile and Angie's enthusiastic, "Dada!"

She leaned from Catherine's arms, stretching her arms toward him before he was even in reach, causing his heart to swell as always. Once close enough, he lifted her high into the air.

"There's my baby girl," he said, smiling broadly.

She laughed and kicked her legs in delight, touching his face as he brought her slowly down to kiss her cheek. He settled her against his side and she patted his shoulder.

"Ah bah bah ee!"

"Is that right?" he encouraged her babbling with a smile before leaning over to kiss Catherine briefly. "Hi."

She returned his smile. "Hi." She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and they started toward the truck. "How was the rest of your day?"

He gave a slight eye roll. "Long, but my desk is clear, so I guess it was worth it." He shifted Angie to his other side so he could take Catherine's hand loosely in his. "Yours?"

"Good." She smiled at Angie who was looking over Steve's shoulder at a clump of trees. "We reviewed some early reports from the afterschool initiative, and then Cody came by after he was done for the day and took Angie on a nice long walk around the building while I had a meeting with a couple of legislators." Angie had turned back at the sound of her name. "Didn't he?"

"Ah bah!" Angie replied, bouncing in Steve's arms.

"Sounds much better than my day," Steve said as they reached the truck. He opened the backseat to put Angie in her car seat while Catherine walked to the other side to stow the diaper bag.

After double-checking the harness and anchoring straps, he gave Angie's tummy a little tickle. "There you go, what do you say we go home and see Cammie?"  
Angie kicked happily. "Caa eee!"

He smiled. "That's right, Cammie's waiting for you." He checked her straps again before closing the door and walking around to the driver's seat.

"What's this?" Catherine asked, picking up the CD Steve had put on the dashboard.

"Danny got it. He said it was one of Gracie's favorites."

"Aww," Catherine said, looking at the tracklist.

"Yeah, he said it could be an alternative to Raffi," Steve went on, starting the engine. The Raffi CD already in the truck's player came on and Angie squealed.

"Ah eee!"

"How did Danny know we were listening to Raffi?" Catherine asked.

Steve glanced at her. "I … might have been whistling a bit this morning."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise, and he groaned, leaning his head back against the seat.

"That whale song was stuck in my head," he complained.

Her expression melted into one of affectionate amusement and she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "That is …"

"Yeah, all right," he said before she could use his least-favorite adjective. "Hey, Angie, I've got an idea. How about we listen to some of Daddy's music on the way home?" With the press of a button he switched the input to a local radio station.

When Van Halen's 'Right Here, Right Now' replaced 'Baby Beluga,' Angie squawked in protest.

Steve looked back at her, just able to see her furrowed brow and pouting mouth as she turned her face to him in her rear-facing car seat behind Catherine.

His eyes shifted to Catherine who tilted her head at him, pressing her lips together in an effort to hide her smile.

He sighed, dropping his chin to his chest briefly and running a hand over his face before reaching over and switching back to the Raffi CD.

Catherine chuckled, settling back into her seat. "You are so wrapped."

He looked at her, remembering times over the years that he'd changed music stations to suit her tastes and smiled. "Not for the first time."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. When she let go, he pressed the back button to start the track again and smiled at Angie's happy squeal.

As he pulled out of the parking space, he started to sing along.

 _"Baby beluga in the deep blue sea …"_

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 _Baby Beluga_ by Raffi (1980)

 **Any fellow Beluga Grads out there? :-)**

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